Many of mobile terminals such as a cellular phone, a PDA or a mobile computer use a touch panel display as an input device for a user to input instructions or commands into the terminal. For example, the user can dial a phone number by touching numbers displayed on the touch panel display. Further, since the mobile terminals have a variety of functions other than a phone, the touch panel display has become a more important feature for the mobile terminals as an input device of the commands or instructions for the functions.
Conventionally, a user of a mobile terminal, for example, a cellular phone, has needed to invoke several separate steps to accomplish a desired function. To send a text message, for example, the user would have to: access a main menu, locate the messaging icon, and press the messaging icon; specify the type of message to send (e.g., text message) which is located on a new screen; go to the list of contact information (e.g., an address book) and locate the contact; select a specific contact; navigate back to the composer; type the text message; and send the text message.
In addition, as the functions of the mobile terminals have not been well integrated, the user has been forced to re-invoke functions instead of stringing existing functions together to complete the function. If the user's goal is to get directions to a location of a person listed in the contact information, the user would need to do, for example, perform the following steps: select the “Contacts” icon from the main menu; locate the specific contact in the contact list; locate the address in the contact detail information; memorize (or copy) the contact information; launch the navigator application (e.g., VZ Navigator®); enter (or paste) the contact information into the navigator application; and press a button to display the directions to the contact.
As described above, the conventional mobile terminal and the operation method have required multiple steps to complete the desired function of the mobile terminal, which has resulted in time consuming and complex operational methods of the mobile terminal. Based on the above, there is a need for a more intuitive and easy operational method of a mobile terminal having a touch panel display to select and operate various functions available to the users via the touch panel display of the mobile terminal. Specifically, a more user friendly and intuitive graphical user interface for a mobile terminal has been required.